SLOWING down the rust monster..........

There are lots of good points and info from experienced folks in this thread. I don’t intend to contradict any of this except to say “maybe don’t worry so much?”

I’d describe my car’s condition pretty similarly to how you’re describing yours. I’ve got a small blister on the driver's rear quarter, a few pinholes in the paint on the rockers. When I first saw that, my heart sank...I knew I was doomed to huge bodywork bill...but that was years ago and it looks exactly like it did back then.

Yeah, it’s in motion and more or less unstoppable but it’s not really evolving on a visable time scale. The rust isn’t apparent from more than a few feet away, it doesn’t show up in pictures...evidentially, keeping the car dry and out of the weather can really slow down the process.

I think you’re smart to look into measures that might improve your odds (and I’m taking notes here ;) ) but your car looks awesome and it might be a decade or more before it becomes a serious problem.